Business leader, venture capitalist, and philanthropist John C. Dean has pledged $75,000 to the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) at the Shidler College of Business. The gift will seed the John Dean Challenge, which will be Dean’s latest call to action for Hawai‘i’s business community to support the entrepreneurship center at the University of Hawai‘i.

The funds raised will go to support entrepreneurship education at the University of Hawai‘i and facilitate activities that support innovation, transfer of knowledge, and private sector investments in UH-based technology.

"As business models rapidly evolve through advancements in technology, the spirit of entrepreneurship continues to drive the vision and innovation that benefit our entire Island community," said John C. Dean. "PACE continues to play a critical role in nurturing these ideas into reality and needs the support of its key stakeholders, which are the members of Hawai‘i’s private sector."

Established in 2000, PACE is home to an integrated set of leading-edge entrepreneurship programs at the University of Hawai‘i. PACE is dedicated to fostering the entrepreneurial spirit among all members of the University and local community through educational opportunities for entrepreneurship, innovation, and commercialization. In the last two years, PACE has provided assistance to more than 100 businesses and has had more than 2,000 people participate in its programs.

"John’s challenge is a testament to his commitment to facilitating new ideas that could potentially become real commercial business enterprises for the State of Hawai‘i,” says Vance Roley, dean of the Shidler College of Business. “We are grateful for his leadership and support of PACE. As a result, the Center is recognized as the leading expert in commercialization and entrepreneurship within UH.”

Dean is currently the president and CEO of Central Pacific Bank and serves on the board of directors for PACE. He is also founder and sponsor of the Kipapa i ke Ala Lecture Series, a PACE program that brings highly successful and respected local, national and international entrepreneurs to the Hawai‘i community.

Photo caption: From L to R: John C. Dean, president and CEO, Central Pacific Bank; Susan Yamada, executive director of the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship; and Vance Roley, dean, Shidler College of Business.